Henderson County under ice storm warning

Henri Boyea and his son Andrew Boyea stand atop of Jump Off Rock in Laurel Park in 2005 as they take in the view of the ice covered mountains of Henderson County North Carolina after an ice storm had hit the area.

Patrick Sullivan/Times-News

By CAITLIN BYRDTimes-News Staff Writer

Published: Monday, November 25, 2013 at 8:34 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, November 25, 2013 at 8:34 a.m.

Freezing rain predications snowballed into ice storm warnings for much of the region Monday night, but meteorologists from the National Weather Service said the wintry conditions should clear out in time for Thanksgiving dinner.

Monday forecasts predicted ice accumulation upward of a quarter inch in Henderson County overnight, but Weather Service meteorologist Steve Krentz said any frozen precipitation won't linger because of the ground temperature.

“It is all going to melt, and the freezing rain will just change to rain around daybreak,” he said of the forecast for Tuesday.

The timing of the weather event, however, could make for a messy morning commute, and ice accumulations of a quarter-inch or more have the potential to bring down trees and power lines.

N.C. Department of Transportation crews were spreading brine on main roads Monday, and Henderson County Fire Marshal Wally Hollis said emergency personnel also were preparing for inclement weather.

“All of these forecasts tell us we're the bull's-eye. Though we hope that's not the case, we have the shelter teams on standby,” Hollis said. “We're getting all of our emergency responders on alert to help if and when they're needed.”

School officials in Henderson, Transylvania and Polk counties are expected to make their decisions about school delays or closings by 6 a.m. Tuesday.

Henderson County Public Schools will activate its automated calling system to notify parents if there is a delay or cancellation of classes, and news media also will be notified. Visit www.BlueRidgeNow.com for the latest developments.

The wintry conditions are being created by a moisture-heavy system from the Southwest moving into very cold and dry air in the North Carolina foothills and mountains. It's the same weather system that brought freezing rain to Texas, NWS meteorologist John Tomko said.

“It's a pretty messy system,” Krentz said.

The system also brings a chance of snow on Wednesday, with snowfall likely in some parts of Western North Carolina on Wednesday afternoon. Areas north of Asheville could see 4-6 inches, Krentz said.

However, Krentz said snowflakes in Henderson County probably won't stick around — or even to the ground.

“It's not going to be much. It will just be all mixed in with the rain,” he said. “You may see snow, but that's about it. The ground will be too wet.”

The last time Western North Carolina had a November ice storm was 24 years ago in 1989. Though Krentz said it is “pretty unusual to have an ice storm of this magnitude this early,” he also said that one ice storm will not foreshadow the coming winter months.

“Winters are finicky. They can be highly variable,” he said. “There's no pretext to what the winters are going to be.”

<p>Freezing rain predications snowballed into ice storm warnings for much of the region Monday night, but meteorologists from the National Weather Service said the wintry conditions should clear out in time for Thanksgiving dinner. </p><p>Monday forecasts predicted ice accumulation upward of a quarter inch in Henderson County overnight, but Weather Service meteorologist Steve Krentz said any frozen precipitation won't linger because of the ground temperature.</p><p>“It is all going to melt, and the freezing rain will just change to rain around daybreak,” he said of the forecast for Tuesday.</p><p>The timing of the weather event, however, could make for a messy morning commute, and ice accumulations of a quarter-inch or more have the potential to bring down trees and power lines. </p><p>N.C. Department of Transportation crews were spreading brine on main roads Monday, and Henderson County Fire Marshal Wally Hollis said emergency personnel also were preparing for inclement weather.</p><p>“All of these forecasts tell us we're the bull's-eye. Though we hope that's not the case, we have the shelter teams on standby,” Hollis said. “We're getting all of our emergency responders on alert to help if and when they're needed.”</p><p>School officials in Henderson, Transylvania and Polk counties are expected to make their decisions about school delays or closings by 6 a.m. Tuesday. </p><p>Henderson County Public Schools will activate its automated calling system to notify parents if there is a delay or cancellation of classes, and news media also will be notified. Visit www.BlueRidgeNow.com for the latest developments.</p><p>The wintry conditions are being created by a moisture-heavy system from the Southwest moving into very cold and dry air in the North Carolina foothills and mountains. It's the same weather system that brought freezing rain to Texas, NWS meteorologist John Tomko said.</p><p>“It's a pretty messy system,” Krentz said.</p><p>The system also brings a chance of snow on Wednesday, with snowfall likely in some parts of Western North Carolina on Wednesday afternoon. Areas north of Asheville could see 4-6 inches, Krentz said.</p><p>However, Krentz said snowflakes in Henderson County probably won't stick around — or even to the ground.</p><p>“It's not going to be much. It will just be all mixed in with the rain,” he said. “You may see snow, but that's about it. The ground will be too wet.”</p><p>The last time Western North Carolina had a November ice storm was 24 years ago in 1989. Though Krentz said it is “pretty unusual to have an ice storm of this magnitude this early,” he also said that one ice storm will not foreshadow the coming winter months.</p><p>“Winters are finicky. They can be highly variable,” he said. “There's no pretext to what the winters are going to be.”</p><p>Staff writer Nancy Tanker contributed to this report.</p>